Changes
by Funny.Glee.Girl
Summary: A new teenager is brought into the Foster family. How will the family of seven adjust to being a family of eight?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story for The Fosters. I hope you like it.

* * *

Isabella Evans sat in the kitchen of the Adams-Foster household, surrounded by the chaos of Monday mornings. Lena was standing at the stove, flipping several pieces of french toast while Stef poured glasses of milk and orange juice. Callie and Mariana were on either side of Isabella, arguing about whose bracelet Mariana was wearing. Callie knew it belonged to her and the younger girl had taken it. Across from the three girls, Brandon, Jesus, and Jude sat, calling out their requests to Lena. Isabella had not yet gotten her breakfast as Lena had to make Mariana's plate twice. No one noticed when the fourteen year old stood up and left the room, grabbing her backpack that sat by the door. The door opened and closed and Isabella was on her way to school.

It had only been three days since she was placed into the Foster's home and four days since Lena had noticed the bruises. It was also her first day back to school, having spent nearly all day Thursday at the police station and Social Worker's office and Friday, both Stef and Lena had stayed home getting the house ready and to be with Isabella.

After her mother took off, her father began to drink. He drank so much and spent all of his money on alcohol, leaving him unable to pay the rent and bills, the landlord finally kicked them out. They stayed at one of Robert's friend's house for a couple of weeks, but when Robert lost his job, they were kicked out of that house as well. For about a week, they lived in the van her father owned, until they found another place to stay in an abandoned building not too far from the charter school Isabella attended. Lena, the principal of the school, had received many reports from teachers, concerned about Isabella's slipping grades and had noticed the girl was often coming to school in dirty clothes. Lena called Isabella to her office and it was then when she saw the bruises. It didn't take but a few hours for Lena and Stef to learn Isabella was homeless and the wives decided to bring the fourteen year old freshman into their home. And the next morning, after spending a night in a group home, Bill brought Isabella to the Fosters.

Lena and Stef purchased a bunk bed for Mariana and Isabella to share, seeing as Callie was the oldest and should have her own bed. So far she got along with all of the other kids, mostly because Isabella hardly talked. All of the kids and the moms tried their best to get her to talk, but the girl stayed clammed up. Stef and Lena assured the kids that Isabella needed sometime to warm up to the family.

Back at the house, nearly five minutes after Isabella had left, Lena turned from the stove and noticed Isabella was gone.

"Hey, we're did Isabella go?" Lena asked.

"Uh, I don't know maybe she went upstairs?" Stef said to her wife.

"Jesus, since you are done eating, put your plate in the sink and get Isabella, I am about to start making her breakfast." Lena said to Mariana's twin. "Jude and Mari, it's your turn to wash the breakfast dishes. Callie, you need to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer."

"Okay." Callie said, eating her last bite of french toast.

"Brandon, don't forget you have a dentist appointment at four. Your dad will pick you up from school at 3:40." Stef said.

"Alright." Brandon sighed. He didn't like going to the dentist.

"Jesus! Isabella! Hurry up or we are going to be late!" Lena yelled, checking the clock on the wall.

Jesus ran into the kitchen shortly after hearing Lena call for him and Isabella.

"Did you tell her it was time to eat?" Stef asked the fifteen year old boy.

"I couldn't find her. I checked the bathroom and the girls' room, she isn't here."

"What do you mean she isn't here?" Lena asked, her eyes growing with worry. "Are you sure you looked everywhere?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Jesus rolled his eyes.

"Do not roll your eyes at your mother, Mister." Stef firmly said as she and Lena walked out of the kitchen.

"Her backpack is gone." Lena noticed.

"She must have gone to school."

"Without telling anyone." Lena pointed out. "I will talk to her when I get to work."

"I will go with you." Stef said, returning to the kitchen to make sure her other children were doing what they were supposed to be doing.

Twenty-five minutes later, Lena pulled into her assigned parking space and Stef parked in the visitor's section. All of the kids had ridden with Lena and Stephanie went over to the large SUV to say goodbye to Callie, Brandon, Mariana, Jesus, and Jude. Mariana ran off to find her best friend Lexi, while Callie walked Jude to his classroom. Brandon had band first hour and headed to the band room to practice before school started. Jesus, carrying his basketball, met up with a small group of his friends to play a quick game. Lena and Stef went to the dark haired woman's office so Lena could drop off her heavy bags before going to the secretary. She didn't know exactly where to find Isabella and so she had her secretary page the teen.

Isabella heard her name over the loudspeaker and sighed. She knew Lena and Stef were not happy with her. They had laid down the rules her first day in the house, leaving without permission was like second on the list and one the moms' took seriously. Callie heard Isabella being called down to the office and then noticed the girl heading to Lena's office. Jogging up to Isabella, Callie slowed her pace.

"Hey." Callie said and paused for the greeting that never came from the girl. "So, Lena and Stef want to talk to you about your leaving this morning without telling them. Don't worry, they'll be easy on you because you are new to the family."

The girls reached Lena's door and Isabella stared at Callie for a moment. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it just as quick. Turning away from Callie, she knocked on the door and was instantly told to come in. Callie sighed and walked away, going to her locker to get her book for her math class. Isabella opened the door and stepped into the nice sized office.

"Shut the door, Honey." Lena said. Her and Stef were standing in front of a chair that Isabella was directed to sit in.

Stef waited for Isabella to get comfortable before crossing her arms. "Lena and I want to talk to you about this morning. And before we start lecturing you, we want to give you the opportunity to explain to us why you left."

Isabella did make any move to say something. Instead, she glanced between the two women and then looked down at her lap. Lena waited a few more seconds before speaking.

"It's no secret that things can get kinda crazy in our house, that's what happens when there are five, now six, children. You are use to being an only child and I can imagine how rough of a change it can be." Lena softly said. "But, leaving the house without letting anyone know, was wrong and against the rules. The rules that you are well aware of."

"Iz, we can't help you if you don't talk to us." Stef said. Though she wasn't being harsh with Isabella, Stef wasn't speaking as gently as Lena. She couldn't help but let the cop side of her out.

"Stef and I, we want you to be with us for as long as you want. Many children get bounced from home to home when they are a part of the system, but we try to keep our foster children in our car for as long as possible. Callie and Jude have been with us for a year and now we are in the process of adopting them. Mariana and Jesus were with us since they were little kids and were adopted after two years. And, if things work out and you like living with us, adoption is something we'd consider. But only if that's what you eventually want." Lena said, hoping that being assured about not being tossed out would help Isabella.

Isabella surprised the women and began to talk, even though it wasn't about anything regarding that morning. "Can I go? I have a test first hour."

"Uh, sure, yeah." Stef nodded after looking to Lena for her opinion. "But, when you get home from school, we expect to have an explanation from you about this morning. And next time it happens, you will be grounded. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Isabella nodded her head and scrambled out the door.

"What are we going to do?" Lena sighed, leaning against the edge of her desk. "She's been with us for a couple days now and has said like five words."

"We'll have to be patient, much like we told the kids, she's still adjusting to everything. She'll come around soon." Stephanie assured her wife. She quickly kissed Lena on the lips. "I better get going. See you at dinner."

"Bye."

Callie walked out of her last class of the day and went to meet up with her foster siblings. Jesus and Isabella were the only ones to arrive at the meeting place Lena had them gather at the end of the day. Jesus was attempting to show the youngest girl of the family a magic trick his friend taught him the day before. Before he had the chance to finish, Jesus dropped the deck of cards all over the ground, effectively ending his magic trick.

"Way to go, Loser." Callie gently pushed Jesus' head and sat down on the other side of the boy.

"Watch the hair." Jesus said, ducking and smoothing his hair down again.

Callie and Jesus continued their friendly banter, getting a few smiles and a small giggle from Isabella in the process. Jesus turned to the long brown haired girl. For what seemed like hours, Isabella and Jesus stared at each other.

"What?" The girl finally said.

"She speaks." Jesus joked, making Isabella blush.

"It's a miracle." Callie joined in. "You really should talk more, it's kinda weird that you just sit there and don't say anything."

Isabella laughed again, nervously tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear. Her smile faded as she looked up and saw a familiar face crossing the parking lot, sitting in his car. Her green eyes met his brown ones and they engaged in a stare down. He narrowed his eyes, almost making Isabella flinch. It seemed as if all the air in the world had gone away and she was gasping, trying to breathe. Callie and Jesus noticed her quickened breathing and the panic that was in her eyes. Callie watched the man in the car back out of the parking space, speeding out of the parking lot.

"Go get Lena." Callie said to Jesus and when the boy jumped up to get his mom, Callie slid closer to Isabella, trying to get her attention. "Isabella! Isabella! Snap out of it."

Jude could hear Callie shouting at Isabella and picked up his pace, running up to the two girls.

"Is she okay?" Jude asked, he seemed a little bit frightened.

"She's going to be alright." Callie assured her brother and peered over at Isabella, unsure of what was going on with her. Thankfully Jesus and Lena arrived and Callie got up, going to stand by Jude, wrapping her arms around him. Lena asked what happened and Callie began to tell her. "Then she just started freaking out and her breathing got all funky."

Lena knelt in front of Isabella, who had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She was whispering something to herself, repeating it over and over again, but Lena couldn't understand what she was saying. She placed a hand on Isabella's knee, making the girl's eyes fly open as she jumped in surprise. Lena moved her hands to rest on either side of Isabella's face, forcing the girl to look her in the eyes.

"It's okay, Honey, you are safe." Lena soothingly whispered, stroking Isabella's hair.

"I wanna go home." Isabella whimpered.

"Alright, come on." Lena helped Isabella to her feet, having Callie and Jesus walk her to the car. She handed Callie the keys, telling her and Jude to follow their siblings. Callie was also told to text Mariana and have her get to the car as fast as she could. Lena needed to go back to her office and get her things.

The car ride home was long for everyone as no one knew what to say. Mariana had no idea what had happened, but knew better than to ask any questions until her and Callie were alone. At first, Mariana thought Lena had found out about her skipping her fourth hour English class, but it was clear to her that the mom and principal had no clue that she had stolen a stack of hall passes from the woman's desk one day. Or that she was selling the blank passes for twenty dollars each. She had more than forty passes left over and had sold just as many. As the car pulled into the driveway, Lena instructed the kids to go right to the kitchen to get and snack and to sit at the table to do their homework. Isabella was sitting in the middle seat of the middle row of the car and was last to get out.

"Iz, can you hold on a second?" Lena asked and patted the seat beside her that Mariana had vacated moments before. She helped Isabella up front and took her bag from her. "How are you doing, Sweetheart?"

"I'm alright, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"You don't need to be sorry." Lena said, putting a hand on Isabella's knee. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No." Isabella shook her head. "It won't happen again. I promise."

Before Lena could say anything, Isabella grabbed her bag and got out of the car, going into the house. She didn't get a snack, but went upstairs and collapsed on her bed, getting out her homework. Lena entered the house and went into the kitchen to check on the kids.

"Jude, I want to check your math when you are done." Lena reminded the boy.

"I need help." He responded and Lena leaned over him to help with the math problem. After a couple of minutes, teaching Jude, he finally got the hang of it. "Alright, do the next two on your own and I will check them when you are done."

Lena took over in making the snacks and served her children. She made an extra peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Isabella and set it aside. Jude needed help once again and she figured if the teenager got hungry, she'd come down and get the snack herself. While helping Jude, Lena glanced up at Mariana, whose phone vibrated on the countertop.

"Mari, you know the rules." Lena warned.

"But it's important." Mariana complained.

"I don't care if the President is coming for dinner." Lena sternly said. "No phones during homework time."

"Mom." Mariana whined. She really needed to reply to the text she had gotten.

"If you continue to whine and mess with your phone, I will take it away for the rest of the week. Now, put down your phone and do your homework."

"That's not fair!"

"Mariana, give me your phone." Lena straightened up, holding out her hand for the device.

"No." Mariana quickly grabbed it, holding it close to her.

"I am not playing around, Mariana." Lena walked around the table and stood by the defiant girl. "Give me your phone."

Mariana slammed the phone in Lena's hand and folded her arms across her chest. "There. Happy now?"

"Finish your homework and then go to your room. Do not come out until I say so."

"Whatever." Mariana mumbled, picking up her pencil.

Lena chose to ignore Mariana's comment at the moment, knowing the two of them and Stef would sit down to talk later. For now, she went back to helping Jude with his math, putting the confiscated cell phone on top of the fridge. Mariana quickly finished her homework, jamming it into her bag and hurried out of the room, not stopping even when Lena called after her.

Two hours later, most of the kids, except for Jude, had finished their homework and after school chores and were now doing whatever they pleased. Brandon was home from his doctor's appointment and quickly did his homework and chores, heading up to his room. Jude was becoming tired and irritable towards his homework and at times, towards Lena. She knew he had a harder time with his work and always remained patient, knowing he didn't mean to get an attitude. Jude always ended up apologizing by the end of dinner.

"Baby, why don't we take a break, huh?" Lena suggested, rubbing Jude's back. "We will work on it more after dinner.

"Thanks." Jude slid off his barstool and went over to the sink to put away the dry dishes from breakfast, his chore for the day.

"I'll get those, you go on." Lena took over putting away the dishes.

She was just about done with the dishes, when she heard Stef walk into the house. All the kids gathered around the blonde woman, giving her hugs and warm welcomes home. Normally Lena let the kids have a few minutes with their other mother, but today, that was not going to happen as she heard Mariana greeting her mother. Leaving the last few dishes to wait, Lena walked out of the kitchen.

"Mariana." Lena crossed her arms. "I do believe I told you to not come out of your room until I said so."

Stef rose a brow at her daughter. "Is this true? Are you supposed to be in your room?"

"Yes, but it's stupid, mom. I shouldn't have too." Mariana whined.

"I doubt your mom stuck you in your room for a stupid reason. You need to march your butt back upstairs and not come down until it's decided you can." Stef sternly said, turning Mariana towards the stairs with a painless swat to her backside. The two women finally got their hugs and kisses in, now that they were alone. "So what's with Mari?"

"Well, she decided to get smart with me when I told her to get off her phone while she was doing her homework so, her phone is ours for the week." Lena gave a quick rundown of the situation.

Stef agreed to Mariana's punishment, telling Lena she would have done the same thing. She sat down at the table, noticing Jude's half done homework. "Where is Jude? His homework isn't done."

"I know, I sent him to watch TV until after dinner. He was starting to get upset and I didn't want to push him to the edge."

"Maybe it's time we look into getting him a tutor." Stephanie said, looking over the homework. "It would take a lot of stress off of you and it might help him."

"I'll talk to some of the kids at school tomorrow and see if I can find someone willing to help." Lena replied. Getting Jude a tutor was something they had talked about in the past, but Lena had been able to help him get by for the most part, now with another kid to look after, it only added more to Lena's plate and she knew it would be a big help to have someone work with Jude. "So how was your day?"

"It was alright, nothing too exciting happened today." Stef shrugged. "What about you?"

"I had to suspend a couple of students today for forging hall passes. It's the fourth time in a week, but no one is coming forward about where they are getting the passes." Lena replied. "And then after school, Isabella had a breakdown."

"What? What happened?"

"I don't know, according to Callie and Jesus, she was smiling and laughing one minute and then the next, she was having troubles breathing and was freaked out about some guy in the parking lot."

"Who was the guy?" Stef asked. The cop part of her wanted to interrogate the boy and the mom part of her wanted to tell the kid to leave Isabella alone.

"Callie said he was older, salt and pepper hair, tanned skin. Jesus didn't see the guy."

"If Isabella had reacted that badly, then I am guessing she knows his name." Stef said. "We will have to talk to her."

"On the upside, she did talk more this afternoon than she has the last couple of days."

"That's an improvement." Stef smiled. "How about I go change into something more comfortable and we sit down with Isabella?"

"Yeah, that will give me time to put something into the oven for dinner." Lena moved to the fridge and pulled out the planned meal of the night.

Stef stopped in the living room to check on Jesus and Jude, making sure they weren't watching something they knew they weren't supposed too and then headed upstairs. Brandon, who shared a room with his two brothers, was practicing his guitar as Callie watched on. Her last stop, before her own room, was the girls' room. Mariana and Isabella were lying on their beds. Mariana had her headphones on, listening to her iPod. She crossed the room and took the device from the fifteen year old.

"Hey!" Mariana bellowed.

"This room is a mess, clean it up." Stef ordered.

"What about Callie and Isabella? They sleep in here too."

"They are not in trouble. You have earned the privilege of doing the work yourself." Stef said. "Any complaining and you'll clean the boys' room too."

"How come I am in trouble, but Isabella isn't. She left the house without permission. That's worse than me smarting off a bit."

Isabella looked up from her top bunk, sheepishly glancing at Stef. She knew Lena and Stef were going to want to have the talk about earlier and probably about what happened after school. She also knew the moms' decided to not punish her this time, but would they go back on their word now? What if they sided with Mariana and ground her?

"Just like we took it easy on you and Jesus when you first came to live with us, we are giving Isabella another chance." Stef explained, even though she felt it wasn't something she needed to explain to the girl. She had Mariana get up and start cleaning the room, and then she turned to Isabella. "I am going to change out of my work clothes and then Lena and I want to talk with you."

"Yes, Ma'am." Isabella nodded.

"Take your plate downstairs?" Stef said, pointing to the dish that once held the sandwich Lena had made Isabella.

"I will." Isabella said.

"Alright, I will be right back. Mari, I expect some progress."

Isabella was waiting at the top of the stairs for Stef when the woman came out of her room. She was going to wait in her room, but Mariana was currently complaining about having to clean up after other people. Isabella felt uncomfortable staying in there for the time being. Stef wrapped an arm around Isabella's waist and walked them downstairs. Lena was sitting on the couch with Jude and Jesus and stood up when the two girls came down.

"Jesus, keep an eye on dinner please, check it in about fifteen minutes if I am not back. We are going outside to talk."

"Okay." Jesus said, keeping his eyes trained on the television.

Lena turned to face Stef and Isabella, noticing the girl looked petrified. She placed a calm hand on Isabella's lower back. "Come on, Love."

Once the three were settled, Lena sitting beside Isabella on the porch swing and Stef in front of them sitting in a chair, Stef began their conversation. "First, I would like to know why you left the house without permission." Isabella bowed her head, sensing a hint of disappointment in the blonde's voice. Stef, knowing she needed to be patient, couldn't help but get a little frustrated. "Isabella, you need to answer me."

"Stef." Lena slightly tilted her head, warning the woman about her tone. "Iz, there is a reason you left and we cannot fix things if we don't know what needs to be fixed."

"Nothing." Isabella muttered, standing up from the porch swing, ready to go back inside.

Lena took a gentle hold of her arm and sat her back down. "We are not done here."

"You can talk to us, Isabella." Stef pleaded. "We are not going to hurt you."

"I can't tell you." Isabella mumbled, picking at her jeans. "You'll kick me out."

"Why would we do that?" Stef asked.

"Because, I'm not supposed to get between families and I am not supposed to complain about anything. You've been more than willing to take me in and I should be grateful."

"You are not coming between any of us, you are a member of our family and your voice matters too." Stef said. "We are not the typical foster family; we treat our foster children as if they were our own. You are not just some paycheck to us."

"Who told you those things?"

"A girl at the group home, I was telling her about going to a foster home and she said she wanted to give me some advice. I needed to stay quiet and be invisible, I should never complain, and I shouldn't expect to stay in one house for long and do not expect to ever find a real home and be adopted. She's moved between three group homes and seven families in a year. Why get too attached? She's right, no one wants to adopt a teenager, they want babies and toddlers."

"Isabella, we talked about this." Lena whispered, her heart was breaking for the young girl. No one should ever feel unwanted or invisible.

"So? You'll change your mind." Isabella defensively crossed her arms in front of her. "That girl was told that she was going to be adopted and the parents backed out. They made her think she'd have a home and a mom and a dad. They lied to her. You're lying too."

"Hey." Stef said, tugging on the leg of Isabella's jeans to get her attention. "We are not lying. Now that girl has not had a very good experience with foster parents, that's for sure, but we are different. When we took Callie and Jude in, things were tight, but we made room. After that, we agreed we weren't going to take more kids in at the moment. However, when we met, I couldn't say no and neither could Lena. You are a good kid. You get good grades and you stay out of trouble for the most part. There's nothing that you will ever do that would make us want to kick you out. We love you already and the other kids are happy to have you here too. We all wish that you'd talk more though."

"Really? You love me? Already?" Isabella's eyes glazed over with awe and even happy tears.

"Of course we do." Lena wrapped an arm around Isabella hugging her close. "And like we said before, if everything works out and you feel ready, we will discuss adoption."

"What about my dad?" Isabella's face fell. "He probably won't let you two adopt me. Eventually he will get me back."

"That is not happening." Stef assured Isabella. "Your dad is going to be in jail for a long time and he will never get custody of you again. The courts take abuse very seriously."

"Okay." Isabella nodded. She didn't know what else to say, but then she glanced between her foster moms. "Thank you."

"Oh, you don't need to thank us, Love." Stef smiled and Lena agreed. "Now, tell us about this morning."

"It was crazy." Isabella said, bluntly. "Callie and Mariana were fighting and I was stuck in the middle as they bickered. The boys were being loud. Lena, you were about close to pulling your hair out from dealing with Mariana's picky eating and Stef, well, obviously she's not much of a cook, but she was getting frustrated about trying to get drink orders right. I didn't want to add to the chaos, so I left. I was doing you a favor."

"By making us worry?" Lena rose a brow. "You were lucky we figured out straightaway that you had gone off to school. But those first few seconds before we came to that conclusion, my heart was in my stomach, I was about ready to freak out."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Isabella bit her lip. She knew the women weren't going to be happy with her, but she didn't think they'd actually be worried.

"We hope it doesn't, I'd really hate to have to ground you." Stef narrowed her eyes just slightly, and then relaxed them. "We will get you through the chaos though, okay? I can't promise it will all go away and never happen again, but perhaps we can come up with something that makes it easier on all eight of us."

"Okay." Isabella smiled.

"Next time you feel overwhelmed, it's okay to leave the room to gather yourself, but don't leave the house." Lena warned.

"I won't." Isabella said and paused before smirking at the moms.

"Uh oh, what are you thinking?" Stef asked. She knew that look anywhere. A smartass comment was about to ensue.

"I was just making a mental note." She shrugged.

"About?" Lena inquired.

"Not forgetting my lunch next time." Isabella said. Though she had told her foster moms she wouldn't leave again, she couldn't make a promise. She was fourteen after all.

Stef and Lena both broke out in laughter and Stef reached out and placed her hand on Isabella's head, giving it a gentle, maternal shake. "Just what we need Lena, another smart mouth." Stef winked at Isabella, making the girl blush as she tried to hide her smile.

Isabella could sense that their conversation wasn't over. There was still the matter of what happened after school to discuss.

"A man in the car?" Isabella pretended not know what Lena was talking about when the dark haired woman had asked about him. "I didn't see a man. I guess I just had a flashback or something about my dad hitting me and it freaked me out. I don't know, but it won't happen again. I promise."

"You can come to us if it does happen again." Lena said. "Day or night, you come tell us."

"Iz, we are serious. You don't need to deal with these issues on your own, we are here for you."

"Thanks, but I will be fine." Isabella shrugged at Stef. "Can I go inside now?"

"Alright." Stef nodded. "Is your homework finished?"

"Not quite."

"Then get your work and sit at the kitchen table, where you will do your homework every day." Stef said, reminding her of the rules.

"Yes, Ma'am." Isabella slipped into the house.

Lena and Stef sat in silence. Lena stood up from her seat, rubbing her face with her hands. Isabella was hiding something, but she couldn't figure it out. Stef got up and walked behind her wife, wrapping her arms around Lena.

"She was lying. She knows who that man was." Lena said.

"I know." Stef kissed Lena's cheek. "We will just have to keep an eye on her."

After dinner was over and the kids had helped clean up the kitchen, Lena and Stef sent them all to their rooms. It was something the moms did a couple of times a week, when the kids were extra rowdy. It got them to calm down and gave Lena and Stef some time alone. They talked and decided there was time before the six kids had to go to bed to watch a movie as a family, but they needed to talk to Mariana first.

"Thanks for backing me up." Lena said, talking about when Stef had sent Mariana up to her room after arriving home from work.

"We are a united front." Stef said. "We might not always agree on something, however, you and I both believe in not fighting in front of the kids."

"That we do." Lena nodded. "But what about her phone? I told her she lost if for the week; do you think that is too long? I was flustered and angry when I had said something."

"She knew what she was doing and pushed your buttons, now she must deal with the repercussion of her actions. She knows better than to be on her phone during homework time and to not get mouthy. She should lose her phone for the rest of the week." Stef replied. "Speaking of which, where did you put her phone?"

"On top of the…." Lena stopped talking when she looked up at the fridge and noticed the phone was missing. "Fridge. It's gone."

Lena stood up and reached her arm to the top of the appliance, searching for the phone.

"Let me look." Stef dragged her stool over to the refrigerator and climbed on top of it. "It's not up here. Are you sure you put it up here?"

"I did." Lena nodded.

"Mariana!" Stef yelled out for the fifteen year old. "Get down here right now!"

When the girl didn't show, the moms trekked up the stairs, going into the girls' room. Callie was lying on her bed, writing in her journal and Isabella was reading a magazine.

"Where is Mariana?" Lena asked.

"She said she was going to take a bath." Callie answered. "The water turned off not too long ago."

Lena walked out of the room, leaving Stef to tell the girls and then the boys that they were going to all watch a movie in about a half hour. She knocked on the door several times, but didn't get an answer from Mariana.

"Mari, answer me this instant." Lena knocked on the door twice more. Stef came out into the hallway, hearing her wife's struggle with Mariana refusing to acknowledge her. "She won't answer."

Stef sighed, already fed up with Mariana's attitude and she hadn't dealt with her as much as Lena had that day. She disappeared into the master bedroom and into the attached bathroom, digging in Lena's jewelry box for the key ring. It had been several, long years since they've had to use them. Not since Brandon locked himself in his bedroom so he didn't have to go to school one day because he didn't study for a test. Stef unlocked the bathroom door, pushing it open a few inches.

"Mariana, I am giving you ten seconds to cover up." Stef warned. But still there was no sounds of movement. She opened the door the rest of the way and saw that the bathtub was empty, but wet and Mariana was nowhere in sight. "She's not in here."

"Look, the window sill." Lena pointed. The candles that usually sat on the sill were now on the counter, the window was also open a half an inch. "She climbed out the window."

"Callie. Isabella. Come here please." Stef called to the two girls. They both appeared in the hallway within seconds. "Where is Mariana?"

"In the bathroom." Callie said, looking to her left, noticing the empty room. "Oh."

"Do either of you aware of her sneaking out?" Lena asked. "We want the truth."

"No, I wasn't." Callie shook her head. "She said she was going to take a bath and then she went into the bathroom and the water ran for several minutes."

"Isabella? You were alone with Mariana earlier; did she say anything to you?"

Isabella shook her head, but she did have some information. She didn't want to say anything in front of Callie, who might tell Mariana that she snitched. Stef and Lena sent the girls back to their rooms, while they decided to call a few of Mariana's friends. One of them had to know where Mari was at. Lexi was the first on their list, as she was Mari's best friend. Besides, they'd speak to Lexi's mother, Sofia, who wouldn't lie to them like Lexi would be inclined too.

The moms sat in the kitchen, sipping their coffee between calling the parents of Mariana's friends. It was the third phone call and neither parent nor friend knew where Mariana had gone and was not at their home. Isabella poked her head into the kitchen, trying to make herself walk into the room completely.

Lena, who was facing Isabella, noticed the girl, half hidden by the wall. "What's up, Sweetheart?"

Isabella stood in her spot and Stef turned around. "Come in, Iz, don't go shy on us again."

"Well, I, um, I might know who Mariana is with." Isabella said, walking around the table to stand between the two moms.

"Who?" Stef asked.

"I don't want Mariana to be mad at me." Isabella replied.

"Mariana has no right to be upset with you." Lena said. "She is the one in the wrong; you are doing the right thing."

"After dinner, when Mariana came upstairs before Callie, she had her phone with her and she was texting this guy named, Scott. I didn't mean to see the message, but they were talking about where they were going to meet tonight. I didn't think she'd actually leave, obviously I was wrong."

"Did you see where they were going to meet up?" Stef asked.

"They were going to have coffee and some café Mariana likes." Isabella remembered what she had seen on Mariana's phone.

"I will go get her." Lena stood up, but Stef stopped her.

"I will go pick up our darling daughter." Stef said. "You dealt with her enough today, it's my turn. Why don't you check on the kids and take a quick shower? You've had a long day."

"Thanks, my love." Lena said, giving Stef a quick kiss before the blonde left. Lena turned around, finding Isabella nervously playing with her hair. "Don't you be worried, okay?"

"I'll try." Isabella sighed.

"Good girl. Now, come on, I'll walk you upstairs and after my shower, we are going to watch a movie."

Lena and the five kids were huddled in the living room, watching the trailers at the beginning of the movie they had all managed to agree on watching. Stef walked into the house, dragging Mariana into the house. It wasn't a secret that Mariana had been crying and had probably received a lengthy lecture from Stef on the way home. It wasn't the end of the lectures yet as Lena stood up and the three went upstairs where they could talk.

As she sat on her bed, Lena and Stef stood above her, arms crossed and angry looks displayed on both of their faces. She was in for it now.

* * *

Reviews would be much appreciated so I know to continue or not. thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews!

* * *

"Do we really have to do this?" Mariana groaned, flopping down on to her bed. Lena and Stef stood over their daughter, both with crossed arms and angry expressions on their faces.

"I just cannot believe this, Mariana." Lena hissed. "What were you thinking?"

"It's not that big of a deal. I wasn't going to be gone lone, just a half an hour or so while you thought I was taking a bath." Mariana shrugged. "And anyway, Isabella did the same thing and I don't see her getting lectured or grounded for two weeks."

"We are not talking about Isabella right now." Stef said. "We are talking about you and you better watch yourself, you are lucky two weeks grounding is all you are getting."

"It was only coffee, it's not like I snuck off to a party or something."

"It does not matter what you were doing or why. You climbed out of the bathroom window, shimmied down the tree while making everyone believe you were in the bathroom."

"And let's not forget that you took your phone from the fridge." Lena added.

"I shouldn't have had my phone taken away in the first place." Mariana spat to her dark haired mother.

"Hey, do not talk to your mother that way." Stef firmly said. After making Mariana apologize to Lena, Stef continued where she left off in the car. "I want to know why you thought it was acceptable behavior when you know better."

"I went because it's what I wanted. I took my phone because I wanted it and it's mine." Mariana narrowed her eyes.

"What's going on, Mariana?" Stef asked. Why was her child acting out this way after doing so much better?

"What does it matter? Why does what I have to say, matter all of a sudden. It didn't matter a few days ago."

"So this is all about Isabella?" Stef questioned. She knew a lot of time had been focused on Isabella the last couple of days, but both moms had been paying close attention to all of their kids. They all, including Isabella, deserved their attention.

"Look, she's alright." Mariana said. "But I don't recall ever being asked about another kid coming to live with us."

"That's no excuse for acting out like a little kid. You want us to treat you as a young adult, then come to us like a young adult when you have a problem or a concern." Lena said. "Using Isabella as an excuse to try to get a pass in a punishment is childish and I will not tolerate it. YOU got sassy and YOU stole your phone back and YOU snuck out of the house. You are the only one to blame."

"I wasn't even sassy!" Mariana scoffed, though she knew the real truth. "Maybe if you'd stop bringing kids into this house, you wouldn't be so stressed and snapping at the slightest thing. Things were just fine when it was the five of us. Three kids in a little over a year? Are you making up for something because you're getting too old to have kids of your own?"

"Mariana Foster!" Stef harshly said. "That was way out of line."

"I am very disappointed in you. I thought I could trust you again after everything that happened last school year with you selling Jesus' medication and sneaking behind our backs to see Ana. Clearly I was mistaken."

Lena, not the one who usually walked out of a conversation, shook her head in pure hurt and walked out of the room. She went downstairs to the living room where the five kids were watching the movie still. Lena and Stef had been upstairs with Mariana for only a few minutes and she had had every intention of giving Mariana a lecture she wouldn't forget, but decided to leave it to Stef. She was tired of dealing with Mariana's attitude. Jesus, Callie, and Jude had made themselves comfortable on the floor, leaving the couch for Brandon and Isabella. Lena sat between the two on the couch, patting Brandon's knee.

"How are you feeling, Bud?" Lena asked. Though Brandon only had a simple cleaning at his appointment earlier, it left his gums sore and it hurt to eat dinner.

"Better. The popsicle helped." Brandon replied.

"Good, I will give you some Tylenol before you go to bed if your gums are still bothering you."

"Thanks." Brandon said. He went back to watching the movie. Lena thought about asking him something else, but she could see he wasn't in the best of moods. Great. Just what she needed.

"Lena?" A small, quiet voice came from her right.

"Yeah?" Lena replied to Isabella.

The girl wanted to say something, but then she changed her mind. "Nevermind." Isabella shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Isabella nodded, pulling her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her shins. She wanted to ask if Mariana was mad at her or if Mariana even knew that she was the one who told the moms about where she was. She wanted to ask if Lena would hold her hand during the end of the movie, as it scared Isabella every time, even if it was the hundredth time she's seen it. But she couldn't.

Stef sat on Callie's bed, waiting for Mariana's sobs to subside. It killed her to see her baby girl upset and in tears, but Mariana had also brought this on herself, and she would not be offering any comfort. In this moment at least. Once Mariana admitted her wrong doings and apologized to Lena, she would hold her child. Mariana used the sleeve of her shirt to dry her eyes and then she looked up at her mother, with guilt filled eyes. Yes, this is what Stephanie was waiting for, that moment when Mariana could no longer hold up her tough, uncaring façade. Her guilt was too strong.

"I really messed up." She sniffled.

"You did, but it's nothing that can't be fixed." Stef said. "It will take some time as well for Lena to forgive you. And you know that if you do what you are told and don't mouth off to her anymore, she'll be over it in a day or two. And do yourself a favor and stay out of trouble during your grounding. No phone for the rest of the week and no going out, except to school, for two weeks."

"I know." Mariana sighed. Stef moved across the room and sat beside Mariana, pulling her close. "I'm sorry, mom."

"I know you are." Stef smiled into the girl's lavender smelling hair. They sat together for several minutes, Stef holding onto Mariana tightly, until the mom gently pushed Mariana back. "Go wash your face, Love and then go down and say goodnight to your brothers and sisters. Apologize to mom as well when you kiss her goodnight."

"But it's almost an hour before my bedtime." Mariana complained.

"You are not in the position to whine about what time it is. Tonight, you are going to bed early." Stef firmly said. "Now, go do as I told you."

"Fine." Mariana grumbled, standing up.

Before she could take even a step, she felt Stef land an almighty smack to her backside. It was a lot harder than the one she had received earlier, but wasn't hard enough to leave a handprint or any redness. It was a warning swat and Mariana knew not to push Stef any further or she would definitely be grounded longer. Mariana went into the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth, before going downstairs. Stef was now sitting between Lena and Brandon, laughing at a funny part of the movie. She quickly said goodnight to all of her siblings, including Isabella and then gave each of her moms a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, Mommy." Mariana whispered into Lena's ear. "I didn't mean what I said and I don't want you to not trust me. It's the worst feeling in the world."

"We'll get through it, Sweetheart." Lena whispered back, placing a kiss on Mariana's forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too." Mariana smiled at Lena. "Night, Mom, I love you."

"I love you too." Stef replied back, giving her another kiss. "See you in the morning."

Mariana trudged upstairs, hoping for permission to watch the rest of the movie, but it never came and she went straight to her room. She was asleep nearly twenty minutes later when Callie and Isabella were sent to bed. Isabella climbed into the top bunk, dressed in a pair of Lena's yoga pants and one of Stef's police shirts, and snuggled under her warm blankets. She was still thankful to have blankets to cover up with at night. When she was living in the van, she was often cold and only had a towel or a piece of clothing to drape over her to try and keep warm.

Callie turned on the lamp beside her bed and started writing in her journal. Isabella watched the girl for a while, wondering what kinds of things Callie wrote about. She figured it had to do with her past and how she ended up in foster care. What things had Callie witnessed or survived? Every foster kid had a story, some worse than others.

"Are you okay?" Callie asked, tugging Isabella from her thoughts.

"Oh. Yeah, sorry." Isabella blushed.

"It's alright." Callie giggled. "Do you have a journal or a diary?"

"No, I never had a place to keep mine hidden." Isabella whispered, trying not to wake Mariana.

"I have a extra one you can have." Callie offered. She reached into her nightstand and took out the journal that matched the one she was currently writing in.

"I couldn't." Isabella shook her head. "You probably spent a lot of money on it."

"Not really." Callie chuckled to herself. She had gotten them for free...illegally. "Seriously, I don't mind."

"Only if you're sure." Isabella said. Callie told her it was fine and the girl slid off the top bunk and went over to Callie.

"You can sit on my bed if you want to write now." Callie said, knowing there wasn't very good light by the bunk beds.

"I don't want to get in trouble with Lena or Stef. They told us to go right to bed."

Callie waved off the girl's worries. "They're reading a couple pages of Harry Potter to Jude, they'll be a few minutes. When the light turns off down the hall, they're about to come in." Callie gave Isabella a pen and turned the lamp just a bit. "So...what did Lena and Stef say to you that got you talking all of a sudden?"

"Nothing." Isabella shrugged. "Well, I mean, they kinda explained that they aren't the typical foster parents. I don't need to just get by, I can actually be a member of the family."

"They're right." Callie said. "Lena and Stef are the best foster parents you will ever find, they really do care about everyone and we're not just another check to them."

"Can I ask you something?" Isabella questioned Callie after a few seconds. Callie nodded. "Stef and Lena are adopting you and Jude, right? How come you don't call them mom?"

"Because they understand that I had a mom, a good mom. Jude and I are in the system because my father is in jail for killing my mother and two other people in a car accident because he was driving drunk. There was no one else to take us in, so yeah." Callie quickly explained. "Don't get me wrong, Lena and Stef are my moms and I love them, I just am not ready to call them that."

"I'm sorry about your parents, that must have been hard to learn that your dad killed your mom."

"It was." Callie said and the girls fell into silence. "So, what about you? How did you end up in foster care?"

"My mom ran off with her boyfriend a couple months back. My dad started to drink. First it was a beer or two after work, then it turned to six and eventually that wasn't enough so he started drinking harder liquor. All of his money went to his alcohol fund and not to our bills, so the landlord kicked us out. We stayed with one of his friends until he lost his job and we got kicked out. Then we stayed in our van for a week and then we lived in an abandoned building until Lena and Stef got me out."

Callie was about to comment on Isabella's backstory, but the light down the hall turned off. The moms were done reading to Jude. Isabella slammed her empty journal closed and climbed up the latter, diving under the covers, pretending to be asleep. She peeked an eye open and saw that Callie was doing the same thing. She closed her eye and waited as the footsteps got closer. Lena and Stef glanced at each other, shaking their heads, the girls didn't fool them.

Lena went over to Callie, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Alright, Little Miss Faker, I know you're awake."

"You too, Iz." Stef chuckled, tapping her finger on Isabella's nose. The girl opened her eyes and tried not to smile. "You'll have to work on your acting skills."

"What were you two doing?" Lena asked.

"Talking." Callie grinned at Isabella.

"About what?" Lena was glad to hear that Isabella was warming up some and that Callie was being a good friend.

"The past."

"Well as happy as that makes me, you both need to get to sleep." Stef said.

"Goodnight, Cal." Lena leaned over and kissed Callie's forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too." Callie yawned, sinking into her plush pillows.

Stef got on her tip toes so she could kiss Isabella's cheek. "Goodnight, Sweetheart. Sleep tight. I love you."

Isabella nodded with a small smile. She so badly wanted to say goodnight, but the words wouldn't form in her mouth. Why couldn't she just say the things she wanted? Why did it have to be so hard? Stef smoothed Isabella's hair, wishing she could get inside the girl's head. There was something hidden deep inside her and Stef wanted to help. She wanted to break Isabella free. Isabella's eyes began to drift shut and the blonde moved out of the way and over to Callie so Lena could say her good nights to Isabella.

"Goodnight, Callie." Stef kissed Callie's cheek and fixed her blankets the way she liked them. She stood by the door and waited for Lena to finish saying goodnight to Isabella. Lena said goodnight and kissed Isabella's forehead. Another quick goodnight was whispered as Lena turned off Callie's lamp and the mothers went to their bedroom.

Stef was already in comfortable sleeping clothes, but it was Lena who was still dressed in her work attire. Stef watched as her partner stripped down to just her undergarments. Lena slipped on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top and got into bed, turning out the lights before she did so.

"You are so beautiful." Stef kissed Lena, who deepened the kiss. "And you're an amazing mother to our children."

"Shhh." Lena put a finger to Stef's lips. "No talk of the kids."

The blonde let out the softest, most perfect giggle Lena had ever heard. After ending their mini make out session, Lena cuddled into Stef's side, her favorite sleeping position. Stef wrapped her arms around Lena and the two drifted off to sleep. By morning, Lena had rolled over to the other side of the bed, one arm hanging of the edge. Stef's alarm clock went off and the woman quickly hit the snooze button before it disturbed Lena. Stef waited a moment before getting out of bed.

Normally she wasn't so careful about getting up, but today she had set her alarm to go off a half hour earlier than usual. They had promised Isabella they'd try to make things less chaotic in the morning and Stef figured if she was all ready for work when everyone else got up, she could help Lena more in getting the kids ready. It would also give her some time to get lunches packed. She took her shower, did her hair, and quietly got dressed in her uniform and packed her work bag. Lena's alarm would be going off in fifteen minutes and the kids would be up in a half hour.

Thinking all the children were sleeping, Stephanie was surprised to find Brandon sitting at the kitchen table, drinking some orange juice and eating a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. He had heard is mom's alarm go off and couldn't fall back asleep so instead he had come down to eat breakfast.

"Hey, Bud. How long have you been awake?" Stef asked, rubbing his back as she walked to the coffee maker, turning it on.

"Not long." He said. "I think I am going to go to school early today so I can practice more. My audition is in a few months and I want to start rehearsing more and I can't do that in this house without Jude or Jesus bugging me or the girls being too loud. The band teacher said I could come in early and use the room."

"Alright, well, do you need a ride?" Stef asked.

"Nah, I am going to take Dad's extra car. He is going to lend it to me for a couple weeks."

"Whoa, whoa." Stef whipped around, slamming the fridge door. "When were you planning on telling me about your dad's car?"

"I didn't think I needed your permission." Brandon said. "It's not your car."

"But you are my child." Stef sharply replied. "This is something your father and I should have discussed first."

"Well, I didn't ask him to borrow it until late last night. I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"What is with all of you thinking things aren't that big of a deal?" Stef threw her hands up, not exactly talking to Brandon. "You should have talked to me about this too."

"Yeah and you should have talked to me before bringing another kid into this house. There's hardly any room as it is." Brandon shot back. "You didn't ask me. You didn't ask any of us!"

"Brandon, lower your voice." Stef warned her biological son. "And yes, you are right, we did not ask any of you how you felt about Isabella living here with us, but her situation was different this time. She was living in an abandoned building with no heat, no water, no nothing. On top of that she was getting beat. She had nowhere to go. Mom and I both felt and still believe that Isabella is the perfect fit for our family."

"She could have stayed in that group home." Brandon replied. "Or gone to some other foster home."

Lena, who had woken up before her alarm had gone off, heard Brandon's raised voice from upstairs and hurried out of the bedroom. Lena tied her robe shut around her waist as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Mother and son were still engaged in the tense conversation when she walked into the room.

"You are being very insensitive Brandon." Stef said.

"Why because I am tired of the whole foster thing?" Brandon scoffed. "I should have a say in whether or not another kid comes into this house."

"What's going on?" Lena asked, looking between Brandon and Stephanie.

"Nothing." Brandon answered. "I am going to dad's to get his car."

Brandon dropped his plate in the sink, the loud crashing noise caused Lena to jump and Stef to glare at the boy.

"We are not done here." Stef stopped Brandon. The seventeen year old rolled his eyes and walked out of the house. Stef growled in frustration. "What is it with our children leaving the house whenever it suits them?"

"Babe, calm down." Lena stood behind Stef, rubbing the cop's shoulders. "What happened down here?"

"Brandon is upset that we took in Isabella. We didn't ask the other kids how they felt. He feels we should have left her at the group home or with another family."

"I don't understand." Lena's brows drew together. "Brandon hasn't been anything but kind to Iz. He stepped up and helped her with chores her first night here."

"I know." Stef sighed. "I don't understand either."

"We will talk about it with him when he gets home." Lena said.

"And I can ground him." Stef smiled to herself.

Lena let out a deep belly laugh. "Yes, you can ground him."

After they finished talking, Lena returned upstairs and got into the shower while Stef put together lunches for the kids, including Brandon, who would be given his lunch from Jesus. It wasn't long before Mariana came downstairs, still in her pajamas, and sat down at the table, waiting for Lena to make breakfast.

"Good morning, Mari." Stef grinned, hoping the girl was in a better mood after last night.

"Morning." The girl mumbled. "Where's mom, I'm hungry?"

"She's in the shower, she shouldn't be long." Stef answered, bagging the last lunch.

Mariana sighed in annoyance and got up from the table, returning up to her bedroom. Callie and Isabella were both asleep and Isabella had moved since Mariana had gone downstairs. A small book underneath the edge of Isabella's blanket caught Mariana's attention and the young girl carefully picked it up. She didn't have to open it to know that it was Callie's diary. A smirk crossed the young girl's face and she quickly turned on her heels, heading straight downstairs. Stef was pouring herself a cup of coffee when Mariana slammed the book in front of her.

"What's this?" Stef asked, sipping the hot liquid.

"Callie's journal."

"And what are you doing with Callie's journal?"

"I am not doing anything with it. Isabella had it in her bed. She's been reading it." Mariana said. There was no way her moms could let this slide.

Stef, however, wasn't quite sure what to make of the journal being in Isabella's possession. It was almost time for the rest of the kids to get up and Stephanie told Mariana to keep it to herself, she'd take care of the journal situation later. The girl returned upstairs, smiling all the way up to her room to get clothes for the day.

Lena finished getting dressed and went into Jude and Jesus' room to wake them up. It was easy getting Jude up and moving, Jesus was another story. There was a five minute tug of war with the blankets, until finally Lena was able to get them away from Jesus.

"Ten more minutes." The boy grumbled, curling into a ball, trying to stay warm.

"No, come on. It's time to get up." Lena shook Jesus a couple times, gently. "Let's go."

"Okay. Okay." He sighed and sat up.

"Good. I am going to wake the girls up and then make breakfast."

"I want eggs, bacon, and pancakes." Jesus said.

"This morning you all are making your own breakfast." Lena said. "It's called cereal."

Jesus grumbled something under his breath as Lena walked out of the bedroom. Callie and Isabella were relatively easy to wake up and Lena went downstairs. Mariana, who was now dressed with her hair and makeup done, and Jude were sitting at the table. Lena opened up the fridge and grabbed the two gallons of two percent and skim milk, placing them in the center of the table. Four boxes of different cereals were added to the table, along with bowls and spoons.

"What's this?" Mariana asked. "I was hoping you'd make me an omelet for breakfast."

"Cereal." Lena said.

"But you prefer us to have a better breakfast before we go off to school." Mariana replied.

"Well, one morning of cereal won't hurt." Stef said.

"But I don't like these." Mariana scrunched up her nose at the boxes of cereal.

"Honey Nut Cheerios. You're the only one who eats them." Stef rose her brow as she placed the box in front of Mariana. The girl snatched the box and slammed it on the table. "Hey, attitude."

"Morning." Callie said, walking into the room. She hugged each of her moms and sat down beside Jude. "Morning, Jude."

"Morning, Cal." Her little brother smiled at her.

"Did you sleep alright?" Callie asked.

"I guess." Jude sighed as Callie began to fix him a bowl of Fruit Loops. "I'm sure math class is going to suck."

""Don't worry, Jude. Just do your best." Lena said. "I am going to try and find a tutor to help you, okay? Someone who is better at math than I am."

"Yeah, okay." Jude nodded.

"Mom is right, do your best and we will be proud of you." Stef patted his shoulder, comfortingly.

By the time breakfast was over and all the kids were ready for school, Lena and Stef were amazed when they had ten minutes to spare before they had to leave the house. It had been a long time since they've had extra time in the morning and they liked it. No one was frantically searching for things at the last minute, Lena wasn't ready to pull out her hair, and Stef wasn't threatening punishments because the kids were getting out of hand. Now, all the kids had retreated to the living room to watch a little bit of tv before they went off to school, something they'd never been able to do in years. Callie and Isabella were picked to do the dishes and when they finished, both were sat down across from Lena and Stef. The blonde woman went over to the coffee maker, reaching behind it to grab the journal. Callie and Isabella stared at the book.

"Isabella, we found Callie's diary in your bed this morning." Stef bluntly said, leaving out that it was actually Mariana who had found it. "Now, this is something we take very seriously. Stealing other people's possessions is not okay for any reason."

"I'm afraid we are going to have to figure out a punishment for you." Lena replied. "And I think you owe Callie an apology."

"But I didn't do anything. I didn't take anything." Isabella glanced from Lena to Stef, her eyes filled up with tears. Did Callie trick her? But why did the girl want to get her into trouble? Isabella didn't understand.

"Isabella didn't steal anything." Callie said, reaching for the journal. She opened the book, showing the moms the blank pages. "See, this is the extra one I have that I gave to Isabella last night."

"Mariana must have mistaken it for Callie's." Lena quietly said to Stef, but Callie heard what was said.

"Mariana?" Callie questioned. "I thought you found it?"

"Mariana brought it to me and I didn't want there to be any arguments about her tattling." Stef explained. "We are so sorry, Isabella."

"It's fine." Isabella said, without looking at any of the others in the room. She quickly got up from the table and walked out of the room, nearly crashing into Mariana, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Iz, I-"

"Save it, Mariana." Isabella snapped. She grabbed her backpack from the couch and went out to the car. She didn't know that Mariana was trying to get her in trouble and so she wasn't exactly mad at Mariana, she was frustrated with almost getting in trouble for no reason.

At school, Lena tried to talk to Isabella before she went to class, but the girl took off before Lena had the chance. She was able to catch Jude before he headed off. She reminded him that she was going to find him a tutor for math. He gave his mama a hug and hurried off to find his friend, Connor. They sat outside their math class and both pulled out their Nintendo DS, challenging each other to a game. Connor and Jude played for nearly ten minutes, until the bell rang. Jude tucked his handheld gaming system Stef and Lena got him for his birthday into his backpack and trudged into class.

"Alright, clear off your desks and get out a pencil." The teacher announced. "We are going to have a pop quiz."

Jude's face fell and he thought about feigning sickness to go to the nurse. Perhaps Stef could come and get him and take him home for the day? But he knew it was only prolonging the inevitable. He would have to take the quiz at some point. During the test, Jude couldn't focus and when the teacher called time, he looked down at his double sided quiz. Only four questions had been answered. During his lunch hour, Isabella and Callie found Jude sitting in the sand along the beach. The girls sat on either side of the younger boy.

"What are you doing down here?" Callie asked her brother.

"I don't know, I just needed some time to myself." He shrugged.

"Are those morons picking on you again?" Callie asked.

"No, it's not them." Jude shook his head and sighed. "I failed my pop quiz in math."

"It can't be that bad." Isabella said.

"I only answered four questions out of twenty-nine. One was right."

"Lena is going to find you a tutor, don't worry, moms know you are struggling in math, they aren't going to be mad." Callie assured him.

"You know." Isabella slowly said, ready to make an offer. "I'm pretty good with math. I can help you."

"Yeah?" Jude peered at Isabella.

"Of course." Isabella smiled.

"Thanks." Jude smiled back. "It's kinda nice to actually hear you talk."

Isabella's cheeks turned a light shade of red. "I'm getting there." She shrugged. "It's weird being the new kid, but you know what that's like."

"We do." Callie nodded. "And, though Mariana and Brandon have tried to get you to talk and open up, it clear they aren't entirely happy with the situation. I can tell they are half ass attempting to get to know you."

"I can't force them to like me, but maybe they'll change their minds." Isabella said.

"Well I like you." Jude grinned.

"Me too." Callie smiled almost as wide as Jude did. "And Jesus does too. He pretty much likes everyone, until you give him a reason not too."

"I just don't want to make things difficult since Mariana and Brandon don't want me there."

"Iz, you needed a place to go. They need to get over whatever issues they have." Callie said. "And really, the only things that matter are that you are safe and Lena and Stef love you. They wouldn't already be considering adoption if they didn't."

"I guess you're right." Isabella replied.

The three continued talking, getting to know one another better. Lena, who had received a call from a teacher, alerting her that three students were on the beach during school hours, which was against the school rules, groaned when she reached the beach, realizing it was three of her own kids. Of course. It was always her children. But she couldn't help but to smile, seeing Callie, Isabella, and Jude laughing.

"Hey you three, you know its against the rules to be down here during school hours." Lena said, bending at the knee behind the kids. "And while I am thrilled to see you three getting along and having a good time, I need you to return up to the school."

"It's not their fault."Jude said as he stood up. "I came down here to think and they came to check on me."

"Is everything alright?" Lena questioned.

"I failed my math quiz." Jude bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Lena placed a hand on Jude's shoulder.

"But I didn't try my hardest. I just couldn't focus."

"But Isabella offered to help Jude with his math." Callie interjected.

"You did?" Lena asked Isabella. The girl nodded. "That would be great, Honey. Thank you. Now, let's go before you all really get in trouble."

The four started to walk back up to the school, Isabella walked behind everyone else, but tried to stay close to Lena. The mom almost didn't hear Isabella calling her name and turned to face the teenager. Callie and Jude stopped walking as well and one look on Isabella's face told Lena she wanted to talk to her alone. Lena nudged her head towards the school, sending Callie and Jude on their way.

"I, um, kinda have a question to ask you." Isabella stammered. "It's probably going to sound completely stupid."

"What is it?"

"Nevermind." Isabella shook her head. "I should go, I need to stop at my locker before my next class."

"Uh-uh." Lena said, gently taking a hold of Isabella's arm, pulling her to stand in front of her. "You keep trying to ask me something, but change your mind."

"It's stupid." Isabella whispered. "I shouldn't be asking."

"You can ask me anything, even if you think I'll say no."

"Well, um, I, last night when we were outside with Lena, you kinda gave me this one armed hug and I, uh, I was w-wondering..." Isabella's voice trailed off.

Lena knew exactly what Isabella was trying to say. She knew it was hard for the girl to communicate her wants, needs, and feelings and wanted to put Isabella at ease. No other words were spoken and Lena wrapped her arms around Isabella, giving her a tight and secure hug. For a brief moment, Isabella stiffened and then relaxed into Lena's arms. It felt great to be in comforting arms, a feeling she had gone so long without.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter wasn't the best. I've been working on it for weeks, trying to make it better but I couldn't. :/ I promise the next chapter will be better.**


End file.
